RAIN OF BOMBS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 138, 11 May 1940, Page 7

RAIN OF BOMBS

ON FRENCH TOWNS. CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. RAIDERS PAY DEARLY. (United Pre6s Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received Aiav 11, 8.5 a.m. LONDON,. May 10. German ’planes have bombed several French towns, including the towns of Nancy, Lille, Colmar, Pontoise and Luxeuil. Dead and wounded are reported at Nancy. Raids against Debron airport., and Lyons began early this morning and continued for two hours. One raider was shot down. -

Paris reports that 13 were killed and 30 wounded in the air raid on Lyons. A block of flats was destroyed and a block of workers’ flats hit. Two soldiers were killed at Lyons and two houses were destroyed near Lille. The Germans have raided Mery-sur-

[ Oise, between Pontoise and Chantilly. It is officially stated that the Germans have bombed the' aerodrome at Longwy in addition to military airports and the other French towns. Eighteen bombers were shot down during these attacks. The aerodrome at Calais and sotop R.A.F. aerodromes in Northern France are reported to have been bombed. The raiders visited Paris, but did not drop bombs. Two villages near Boulogne are reported to have been bombed.

The British Air Ministry' announced that Royal Air Force fighters shot down five enemy' ’planes during attacks against Royal Air Force aerodromes in Franco in the early hours of this morning. M. Frossard (Minister of Information) in a broadcast, said: “The hour has come for every Frenchman to do his duty silentlv and hsolutely.” The man in the street says: “We all expected this. lam glad we are going on with it and are going to get it over.” HEAVY FIRE. The Foreign Office learned by tele- , phone from Brussels that this morning’s bombing lasted ninety minutes, after which there was complete calm. The damage is stated to be slight. Several houses were hit and a factory caught fire in an outer suburb. The Rotterdam correspondent of the British United Press says heavy artillery and machine-gun fire can be heard. Barricades are being erected in the centre of the city. There are numerous German ’planes over Antwerp to-night. The Luxembourg Ministry has announced that the Grand Duchess and family have escaped from the Grand Duchy, which is fully invaded. A mental hospital at Morstel. near Antwerp, has been bombed and is aflame. Several railway stations in Central Belgium have been destroyed by .bombs. Four armoured trains were destroyed, also a railway bridge at Venlo, near the Dutch frontier. GERMAN CLAIMS.

The Berlin radio claims that German ’planes bombed military objectives in East and Middle Erance, destroying three aerodromes, including Metz. Small German concentrations in various parts of the country have attempted to maintain their positions against strong opposition, liie Germans are reported to be using prisoners as shields. The German radio claims the Germans have occupied The Hague. It also says .the German air force has captured numerous Belgian and Butch aerodromes. It is also persistently appealing to the Belgians and Dutch not to obstruct the invaders. One broadcast specifically appealed to the Belgians to “lay down your arms. -We only want to cross Belgium!” The Berlin News Agency says the Germans have captured Malmedy . and Vitry in Belgium, also the Dutch fortress of Maestricht, near the border, and bridges west from the town, taking three thousand prisoners. The Germans have crossed the Maas at several points and reached the Albert Canal at several places. SWISS VIOLATED. STRATEGIC POINTS RAIDED. DAMAGE TO RAILWAYS. Received May 11, 10.50 a.m. LONDON, May 10. Berne officially announces that foreign ’planes bombed the railway between Delemont and Montier, about ■twenty miles south-west of Basle. The railway was damaged, but traffic is continuing. A German bomber dropped 17 bombs, while 20 German and a number of French ’planes engaged in, a battle «ear Delemont. The Swiss antiaircraft guns came into action and drove off a German bomber from a big aerodrome near Zurich. The Government has ordered general - mobilisation. Other foreign ’planes are over Switzerland. A further message from Berne states that the army announces that Swiss frontier points were bombed. Yugoslavia up a hundred thousand .men. King Carol has summoned the Cabinet. Hungary, Greece and Bulgaria have rushed .up reinforce-' ments to their frontiers. The German Ambassador to Rome (Herr von Mackensen) visited Signor Mussolini to-day, RUSSIAN WARNING. | BALKAN ADVENTURES. LONDON, May iO. " The Sofia correspondent of the Associated Press ot Great Britain says' Soviet diplomats state that Russia has warned Britain, France, Germany and Italy that she will not tolerate any Balkan adventure. Reports are growing in the Balkans that military talks are opening soon between Russia and Yugoslavia, but Russia is believed to be keener for a rapprochement than Yugoslavia.